Prisoner
by Quibblet
Summary: Takes place during the events of "Terror on Arlia," as seen from Atla and Lemlia's point of view. Third person narrative.
1. Despair and A Civil War

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters of Dragonball Z or related series.

_**. . .**_

Princess Lemlia watched dejectedly as the raucous King Moai took another swig of his liquor flask, egging on the two latest gladiators to a fight to the death. Personally, Lemlia did not like seeing such barbaric acts, for she found them to be quite appallingly cruel.

The female insectoid turned away as the brutal bout continued, hearing through the constant clanging of swords, a few cries of pain as metal seared flesh, while the King kept relentlessly goading them on.

At times, Lemlia would glance down at a gold ornament, consisting of multiple bands worn around her right forearm. A bride's commodity. An image of someone...special. Atla. A sharp despair suddenly invaded the princess's mind and she fought hard not to cry. She had to maintain control; she couldn't let Moai see her vulnerability.

He would know right away what it was about. Then he would start harassing her to no end. It didn't matter where they were or who witnessed his angry tirade. He was a tyrant and he could do whatever he pleased.

"Lemlia!" he called out. "Quit being such a bore and come join in the fun!"

The princess winced. "It's alright, sire. I'm fine here."

"Come here and have a drink!" he snarled, walking briskly up the steps to the throne where she sat, and roughly grabbing her by the arm.

"St-stop, you're hurting me!" Lemlia protested, though she might as well have been talking to a brick wall. As Moai dragged her down the steps, he shouted to a servant, "Bring some more Arora liquor, NOW!"

While the the docile servant hurried off, Moai glanced lustfully at the frightened princess. He knew he had her under his complete control. Throwing the liquor flask aside, he then ripped off the traditional cowl covering her face and kissed her viciously.

Instantly, Lemlia was revolted. But she knew he was alot stronger and if she tried to resist, he would only grow enraged and slap her to the ground. Or threaten to kill more of her people...like last time.

A few hours later, Lemlia lay sprawled face down on the bed, in a massive bedroom adorned with elegant furniture and vintage paintings. She was sobbing, finally releasing her pent-up emotions after sauntering away from the arena. That dangerous dictator they called a "king" had abused and threatened her.

Well, she should have expected it. Only a few suns ago, the Moai's forces had invaded and laid waste to her own kingdom, Voltaire, as well as her husband's, the Nopera Kingdom. It was there that both had declared each other's love through marital ceremony.

They had met as teenagers, when both their monarchies had attended a large festival that was being hosted by a well respected aristocrat at the time.

For her, Atla was the kind of person who almost always operated on the same wavelength as her. Sure, he wasn't as dashing and charismatic as say, Prince Sindhar from the nearby Tyrus Kindom. Even so, Lemlia found that they had alot in common.

Like her, Atla often enjoyed water blaning, riding the six-hooved Mamilon catepillars, swimming, _lapelling_ (a game similar to tennis), and reading (especially adventure and fantasy tales, and even romance). In the Noperan culture, men like Atla were just as open about being romantics as their women were.

He was also one of kindest people she'd ever met. His own family often chided him for being too nice to everyone, friend and foe alike; they always warned Atla that too much of a good heart would end up getting him in alot of trouble.

But Lemlia not only adored her husband for these endearing qualities, he could also have a snarky sense of humor. He always managed to cheer her up when things were going wrong for her. He could be very playful for a Prince, almost as if he never left his childhood.

And they had grown to more than just lovers; they were best friends. Atla had let it be known to everyone on the day of their wedding. It had been a grand, beautiful ceremony that took place at her own palace. Lemlia remembered marveling at the breathtaking decor of the walls and the magnificent rotunda overhead.

There was lavender and shimmering white sash criss-crossing over the balconies and along the halls, flowers bouquets of every variety, as well as the impressive attire that all the guests had been wearing. It was certainly a time to be happy.

But suddenly, a commander from her father's army had rushed into the room, yelling that King Moai's forces were attacking the palace. Lemlia and Atla were horrified; it was a sudden ambush. How was Moai able to overpower their defending forces? How had their two kingdoms been so blind in underestimating his cunning nature?

Apparently, they had been fools. Both tricked into believing that the warring King Moai had finally wanted peace.

The same king who had starved his own people to death. The same one that had usurped the throne from his uncle through assassination; it's also known he killed his own mother as well.

The same one who severely neglected his people during the Great Drought that had devastated many kingdoms on Arlia. The same one who did _nothing_ as his country slowly turned into a barren wasteland. The same one who had attacked neighboring kingdoms and stole their lands' resources.

Claiming he was a changed man, repentant in his savage ways of the past.

And they all had bought it.

Atla should have listened to his advisors. Lemlia should have listened. Their hearts were just too powerful. It wasn't natural for Lemlia and Atla to see the evil in somebody; it just didn't feel right to them harboring feelings of suspicion and hatred, like half the Arlian population had a tendency to do.

After all, the history of both their kingdoms was built solidly on trust, peace and an unadulterated faith. But now, these sacred values had become a liability. Lemlia truly thought that King Moai had changed.

No. All he had wanted was power. Greed. Carnal desires. Her...

Lemlia let out another choked sob. _This wasn't how it was suppose to be!_

Not everyone in both kingdoms had been tricked. Atla's father, King Hariene, was very suspicious of Moai's motives all the time. Even when Atla and Lemlia were eager to welcome a long-lasting truce with one of their most hostile enemies, Hariene never compromised on his views.

At the time, Atla thought his father was being too overly cautious and cynical. Even Lemlia's parents had gladly accepted Moai's offer of extending an olive branch to them in a gesture of friendship.

But King Hariene wasn't fooled that easily; he had warned Atla plenty of times not to take someone like Moai lightly. Atla argued back about welcoming other enemy kingdoms as allies, but the King had only given him the most gravest stare ever. It was different...very different.

_"He's not an Arlian, my son,"_ King Hariene had warned. _"He's an evil entity **pretending** to be one."_

Some of Lemlia's family, as well as Atla's, had perished during the bloody attack on their wedding. Including King Hariene. Amidst the chaotic scene of panicking guests and clashing soldiers, Lemlia could still remember seeing him stand up against a group of Moai's thugs, fighting to the very end. He had been a brave king.

The rest of her brethen (including her parents and two sisters) were being held captive by Moai's overwhelming forces in their own palace. They were being used as leverage, should any of their allies dare to come help them. Lemlia prayed that some of them had escaped.

"Oh Atla," she lamented, as tears fell on the pillow. "I wish you were here! I'm so scared...not only for us, but for everyone throughout Arlia! King Moai is a twisted, corrupt soul! We both saw that! He must be stopped! But I - I don't know how someone as powerful as him can be stopped..."

* * *

_**. . .**_

Prince Atla grew worried as he examined the severely injured arm of his comrade. The poor guy was a servant, though that didn't matter to the prince at the moment.

"Hang on, Okrane," Atla comforted. The servant groaned, having been injured a few days before in the battle with King Moai's soldiers. If he didn't get medical help soon, his arm would become infected with gangrene. Calling the guards was useless, as they simply ignored the prisoners. Unless it was feeding time or for an execution.

Just then, a stout-looking guard and his larger, menacing partner appeared with their daily food of rotting grout. "Here, you filthy pieces of shit! Not that you deserve any of it. Vomit would be a better choice for you to shove in your mouths!"

"Wait," Yoni, a female prisoner, said. "We have an injured man here, and he is growing sicker. He needs help!"

The guards just snorted, and walked away.

"Guards, please!" Atla appealed. "The injury to his arm has grown into infection. All we ask is that you lend us some Aperion spices to neutralize the bacteria. Otherwise, his arm will have to come off!"

The stout guard paused, turning around and began unlocking the dungeon door. But as he entered the cell, he quickly pulled out his sword and slashed it across Okrane's throat. Instantly, blood spurted from the wound. Some of it sprayed across Atla's face, while the servant began coughing out blood and gasping for air.

"Okrane!" Atla cried.

The other prisoners were just as horrified; the cut was so deep that the servant would bleed to death in matter of minutes. The guard then stepped out of their cell, brusquely slamming the bar door shut.

Yoni rushed over to the bars. "You bastards! How can you do this?!"

"Well, atleast his arm won't have to come off now, hmm?" Both guards erupted in harsh laughter, and continued walking down the hall. The prisoners could only watch helplessly as their comrade lie dying in Prince Atla's arms.

* * *

_**. . .**_

Lemlia stood still as the last touches were being made to her jewelry and make-up by several female slaves. She saw with silent surprise at how one of them had a black eye, as well as a broken mandible. Another one looked thin and sickly, almost as if she hadn't been fed in a week.

Despite noticing something wrong about them, Lemlia didn't ask how they got that way. She had her suspicions.

"Clean up and reorganize the toiletries for the princess," one of the girls ordered another, though her voice sounded low and resigned issuing the command. From what Lemlia could tell of the slave's accent, she seemed to be from Atla's lands.

Another girl nodded, as the head slave and two others left the room to attend to other errands. The sole slave started putting away the dresses and other attire brought out for Lemlia to try on, not so much as glancing in the princess's direction. Not wanting to experience another surge in despair, Lemlia felt the need to talk.

"How long have you been serving the king?" Lemlia asked.

The slave girl paused for a second, before she replied, "I can't really remember. I think...almost two years."

Before she could stop herself, Lemlia blurted out, "Did he attack your people too?"

Now the girl stared at her, taken aback by the question. "Why do you ask?"

Lemlia looked down. "He did it to me. He attacked my kingdom, and killed my people. This all happened while I was preparing to marry the prince of Nopera."

"The prince?" the girl asked, now recalling the familiar kingdoms that she knew. "Prince...Atla?"

"Yes," Lemlia replied, her naturally sweet smile flashing for a moment. "A few days later, on the day of the wedding ceremony, he attacked my kingdom." She let out a shudder, not wanting to dredge up the shocking, painful memories of that horrible day.

"Moai killed anyone who tried to fight back. He had my family imprisoned. Some of them were..." Lemlia closed her eyes, as a wave of grief overtook her mind. "Some of them were killed...cut down like they were worthless pieces of meat! My cousins, my aunt Natosh..."

The princess felt that familiar rush of tears pricking beneath her eyes, and she couldn't stop one from seeping through her left eye. "He also did it to Atla's family as well. But I heard reports that some of them escaped...I just hope they are all okay..."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

Lemlia sighed. "Tell me, what is your name?"

"Aisal. I'm from the Republic of Gamar."

"Aaahh," Lemlia mused. "Your people don't have a monarchy. It's a democratic government, right?"

Aisal nodded. "Yes, though I didn't keep up much with politics in the Senate. I lived in a farm village outside the main city, Fonn. You might know our ambassador to your kingdom."

"Yes, I believe I met him a few times. A very kind, noble man named Kelek."

There was momentary pause, before Aisal spoke again, this time full of bitterness. "Moai did attack my people, several years ago. He started first with the outside farms and villages. Then his army moved in and took over the cities at last. Not even the Gamar army could take them on...they were too powerful, especially since they possessed chi power."

Lemlia then rose from the chair, approaching the girl. "Aisal, has anyone ever escaped from here?"

"Escape?"

Lemlia nodded. If there was one thing that she often heard about Moai, it was that he never negotiated for a slave's freedom or a prisoner's release. The only other alternative was to flee this fortress...or death.

Aisal shook her head, looking down sadly. "No, princess. Most who've tried to escape were either killed or punished severely."

"But surely there has to be a way," Lemlia ventured.

"If there was, it would be a miracle. I tried to once...with my brother. Two other servants came along with us. We knocked out some guards and then stole their uniforms. The servants who escaped with us wore the uniforms. They pretended they were escorting my brother and I to the Arena.

We managed to get outside the North Wing. All we had to do was get past the King's security guarding the walls that lead to outside of the fortress!"

A sudden longing, tinged with grief, passed over Aisal's eyes. "There it was, right in front of us! Our freedom out there beyond these god forsaken walls. We were almost there...almost there... "

Her voice trailed off into a pained whisper. "But then Moai's soldiers stopped us. They weren't fooled by our disguises. It's like they knew we were going to escape!"

Lemlia really didn't want to know what happened next, but Aisal continued.

"Our two friends were immediately executed, right there on the spot. It happened so fast...and my brother..." Aisal paused, swallowing hard as her face begin to flush, "Moai tortured him. He then took him to the Arena to fight, and then he...he..." Tears were now slipping down her eyes, while Lemlia felt a growing uneasiness in the pit of her stomach, "Moai threw him down below to the Pit Monster!"

"Oh my god... " Lemlia began.

"He made me watch the whole thing! But the worst wasn't over. He then gave me over to the dungeon guards and they - they-"

The servant couldn't finish the sentence, as she then burst into tears. Lemlia didn't have to hear the rest, as she perfectly knew well what had happened. Raw shock and anger filled her very core at hearing what Moai had done to this poor girl. How many innocent people had that horrible monster put to death?

How many had been captured, imprisoned or made to serve against their will? How many had been brutally tortured? How many had been humiliated and raped? How many had died horrific deaths at the hands of the Pit Monster? Lemlia suddenly felt sick to her stomach.

"Many times I've thought of killing myself," Aisal said. "I almost tried a few times. But if I were to do that, Moai would kill off the rest of the people in my village! He told me so! And I don't think I can go through with it, knowing people died on account of me committing suicide."

At this point, Lemlia couldn't take it anymore. "That...vile bastard! How can our dieties let someone so evil like that live?! They would never allow such a thing!" Her loathing grimace then softened to a more sympathetic one. "I'm sorry, Aisal! I'm so sorry about what happened to you. I wish there was some way we could stop him!"

"There's no way! He's too clever, too powerful!" Aisal suddenly slammed her fists down on the vanity table, causing some perfume bottles to tumble over. "Oh god, I don't want to live anymore! This place is HELL! I don't want to live! I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't want to!"

The servant's voice was growing more desperate and louder by the second, and Lemlia was afraid one of the guards would hear the commotion. Now she felt like an idiot for having opened up to the hysterical slave. She wished that she had kept her mouth shut, and just let the girl go about her daily, miserable duties.

Not knowing what else to do, the Princess firmly placed a hand on the girl's shoulder in an effort to comfort her, who was sobbing uncontrollably now. "I'm sorry, Aisal, I didn't mean to upset you! Please don't cry!"

It took every ounce of effort for Aisal to calm down as she furiously wiped the tears from her deeply strained face. Lemlia rushed over to grab a cloth off the towel rack in the wash room and gave it to the girl.

"Forgive me, my lady," Aisal said, as she vigorously cleaned her face. "I got out of hand, I let my emotions control me..."

Lemlia shook her head. "No, no, you have every right to be upset, Aisal. No, more than that! What that evil tyrant…..that evil…thing out there is doing...and what they did to you? It's unforgivable!"

Lemlia felt really bad over the girl's predicament, and she herself was on the verge of crying. She couldn't believe how inexplicably powerful Maoi had become. It was to the point where no Arlian kingdom stood a chance against him.

Even if they all banded together to put an end to his malicious reign, he had proven to be one of the most cunning and resourceful people on the planet. No doubt he would counter every one of their succeeding efforts with his own.

One of them was a mysterious power - some would call it a type of 'magical weapon,' even by conventional warfare standards - called chi power. No other kingdom possessed such a deadly and formidable skill; nor did they have any kind of knowledge of it, except that it had been a recent discovery.

How King Moai managed to obtain such a devastating power and utilize it among his elite warriors was something the other kingdoms were trying to figure out. Lemlia suspected that the recent visits of alien diplomats from other planets had something to do with it.

She knew that some of those races practiced chi power, particularly in their martial arts and self-defense programs. Right now, it was the one thing that gave Moai the upper hand over his enemies. He certainly wasn't sharing it with anyone else.

"Please...have hope, Aisal," Lemlia said, though she wasn't sure she believed her own words. "One day, Moai is going to pay for his crimes! Him and his followers! They've done nothing but terrorize everyone on Arlia!"

"You don't even know about the other women."

"What?"

"His other wives. Have you ever wondered what happened to them? Why they kept disappearing? His mistresses too. Forced to do anything he wanted, until he grew bored with them and...and..." now the slave looked up, dark eyes so full of terror that it took Lemlia's breath away.

"Nevermind, my lady, I've said too much. Forget about it."

But this only alarmed the Princess even more. Her heart started pounding faster, but nonetheless, she gently touched the other woman's quivering shoulder. "Please, Aisal...I need to know." Pausing for a moment, she added, "if it has anything to do with me, then I need to-"

"NO!" Aisal bolted upright, backing away from Lemlia. "I can't! It's too horrible!"

At that moment, the double doors swung open and in walked none other than the nightmare himself. Lemlia's heart nearly skipped a beat, while Aisal let out an involuntary gasp. Moai was dressed similarly for when he was throwing lavish feasts, consisting of a long crimson cape with an extended sash draped over his upper appendage.

He wore some kind of cologne that Lemlia found quite alluring, though she wasn't the least bit attracted to his foul visage. Immediately, Aisal straightened up and bowed before the king.

"My lord," she said in a shaky voice.

Moai barely acknowledged her, his leery gaze already focused on Lemlia. "Get out."

Aisal swiftly walked past him when he suddenly caught her by the arm. Lemlia tensed up when she saw how he gave the girl a scornful and intimidating glare.

"Or better yet, go down to the dungeon and help those other slave crappers clean out the carnage in the cells," he ordered.

Aisal felt the insides of her stomach turn at hearing that; it took every effort to keep herself from vomiting right there. Moai often had his guards execute prisoners in their holding cells, if it wasn't done in the Arena or on the target practice fields.

The slaves would then be forced to dispose of the bodies. They also cleaned up whatever blood or gore was left behind, depending on how gruesome the killing was. For a moment, Aisal wanted to protest - scream, cry, beg, whatever it took to avoid it - but she knew better than to go against Moai's word.

"Yes, my lord."

Her words were hollow and empty, and even Lemlia took notice of it. The slave then hung her head down, and exited the room.

Lemlia not only grieved for the girl, but she suddenly thought of the rest of her relatives and her people. An image of her immediate family flashed in her mind.

_Mother, father...Cora, Seltar..._

Dieties forbid what would happen to her parents and younger sisters. One wrong move from her...one displeasure she caused Moai...what would he do with them then?

And what about the rest of her people that were captured? In all of the extreme stress she had gone through, she nearly forgot about them.

"My people…the ones you are took as prisoners. What will happen to them?" Lemlia blurted out.

Moai gave her an unsettling smile. "If you behave well, I won't have to torture them in a very painful, very methodical way. Or execute them in public...preferably hacked to death by my Elite Warriors over a period of several days."

He leaned in closer, glowering over her. "Do you have any idea how many days a victim screams and writhes all over as more of his limbs are taken off? As he is slowly being gutted from the inside out, his liver, tongue and genitals thrown all over the Arena for the Ilik vultures to devour?"

Lemlia shook her head, unable to stop a tear from streaming down her cheek. "No, no, please don't hurt them! I beg you, my lord!"

Moai reached out and grabbed her by the chin. "Do as I say, _my dear."_

He drawled out the last two words in a tone of mocking possessiveness. Lemlia couldn't stand looking at him any longer, and averted her eyes to the ground. Moai slowly moved his hand down her neck, shoulder and arm, and she flinched at his unwelcomed touches. When his hand came to rest on the gold brace around her forearm, she pulled away.

"Ah-ah-ah!" he warned, brusquely grabbing her arm and feeling the cool metal of each golden bangle. "Such a beautiful ornament. I know what this represents. The lustrous sheen of it is so striking on such a trophy prize as you. Soon, I'll possess the other one from him."

Atla. Beloved Atla…

As Moai's other hand came to rest above her bosoms, Lemlia resisted another urge to get as far away from him as possible.

"I should take you right here, right now. But I need a little entertainment first. A few killings here, and few killings there to make it just right. Otherwise, it wouldn't be so stimulating...so much...fun."

His murky green eyes, reflecting off a deep sickness, bored directly into hers. It was then that Lemlia realized that she was looking into the eyes of a genuine psychopath. "You think I betrayed you and your kingdom."

Lemlia couldn't stop the next scathing reply that came out. "Yes, you did. All of us."

"I was merely biding my time. Enough to test your weaknesses. Your vulnerabilities." He smiled. "And it worked. I simply conquered another enemy."

_Please Dieties, tell me this is all a dream, all a dream...!_

A sharp, sudden pain jolted her as Moai squeezed her left breast hard, his nails digging deep in. "Enjoy this day, Lemlia. Tonight won't be so lucky for you."

Lemlia let out small gasp. Her soul was going to be destroyed by her worst enemy of all Arlia, and there was nothing she could do about it.

. . .


	2. The Escape

**. . .**

_A Queen mother, glancing down at her child. Her only one…_

_"And so Sky Fighter decided to save the people by fighting the worm demon."_

_"But it had 3 heads!" little Atla exclaimed. "And sharp teeth! How did he do it? He was so small next to the big monster!"_

_The Queen laughed – a wholesome, pure sound to the boy's ears. "He had powers…..amazing powers. He just pointed out one hand, like this—" the female Arlian stretched out her arm at an opposite wall, "Pshhhoooo! A magical ray came from his hand and went right through the beast's chest!"_

_"Wow!"cooed Atla. "He sure sounds like a strong, magic guy! Where did he come from again?"_

_"No one knew," the Queen replied. "Although it is said that he came from the sky. That's why he looked so different…not from Arlia at all."_

_"Ohhh, because he had a furry tail. And a strange hole for his mouth! With eyes the color of white and black, right?"_

_"Yes. And a tuft of wild, dark fur on top of his head…atleast, that's what I think it was - fur."_

_"Mother, if he came from the sky, is his house a cloud? Does he float-walk?"_

The voice of long ago faded from Atla's mind, as his eyes slowly opened. How long had he been out? It's a wonder he even slept - he hadn't been able to sleep in over two days. His mother….she had been dead for 13 years now. It's been about a year since he last dreamt of her…

Atla recalled how the Queen use to tell him a bedtime tale called "Sky Fighter," about a powerful, primate-like being that descended from the golden heavens, and helped rid their land of the Siliah - a nasty, man-eating worm beast.

The story had to be over 800 years old, but some Arlians believed it was based on an actual event. There were many books that included the story with illustrations as well. Of course, it had been one of Atla's favorites as a child.

"Atla?"

The Noperan prince glanced up to see Uyela, a court musician and one of his friends. Groaning, Atla groggily sat up from the mildewed hay that was his makeshift bed.

"Hey, Uyela. I drifted off for awhile, didn't I?"

Then the living nightmare all came back…Moai's attacks. Their capture. Okrane. He glanced over at the lifeless body of his servant, where the other prisoners had moved it to a corner. He hadn't even bothered wiping Okrane's blood off his face…

Uyela came beside him and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "Atla...I'm sorry..."

Not knowing what else to say, he stayed silent. Although, even in the dimly lit cell, he could see tears glistening around the edges of the prince's cerulean eyes.

"How could anyone be so heartless?" Atla choked out. "They didn't have to do this!"

"Atla, they're nothing but monsters," Uyela replied disdainfully. "They're _not_ like us. They don't feel such things like remorse or empathy. Those rotten bastards that killed Okrane are no different from Moai and the rest of his lowlife grovelers. Maybe not all of them are evil, but most of them are. And they're certainly not going to treat us nice since we're the enemy. My prince, when are you going to see this?"

Atla didn't want to believe what his friend was saying. "I don't know, Uyela."

Still, a part of him grudgingly accepted it. He would have to if he wanted to survive in such a world. That familiar despair...the same one that was attacking Lemlia...was also crushing the his spirit. His people were suffering horribly and that damned, insane Moai was to blame for it.

But for the first time in his life, Atla believed that he had failed his people. Sure, it wasn't his main duty to look out for them; that had been his father's role. Still, he wasn't able to protect them from Moai's vicious attacks and subsequent capture.

He couldn't save them from the king's deceitful ways, as was the case when Moai lied to them about wanting peace while orchestrating an invasion right under their noses.

Again, Atla silently blamed himself for not listening to his father. And now, he was dead. One of the last few people in the world that he deeply loved and respected, even if they disagreed on a lot of things.

_Father, I'm so sorry. You were right all along… _

And yet, to most of his people, Atla was still their beloved prince; he was no King Hariene, but he was still kind and compassionate - one who tried his hardest to do what was right for them. They all knew he wasn't perfect, and that he still had alot to learn. But he couldn't see that at the moment.

Right now, everyone was suffering...Lemlia was suffering.

NO! He couldn't allow that monster to get away with it! Who knows what Moai would do to his beloved wife if he didn't do something?

All of a sudden, the sound of a lock unhinging echoed down the corridor. The guards were back. Quickly, the insectoid prisoners hushed up and awaited their captors. What would they do this time?

More brutal torture? More target practice? More victims to the Pit Monster? But just as Atla was expecting the worst, their dungeon door swung open and the guards tossed _something_ in.

"You'll be happy to know that your cell doesn't have any rats," he heard one of the guards sneer. "The prisoners ate them all! Ha-hah hah -aha!"

As the guards left, Prince Atla glanced at their new company, and suddenly realized these people were...

His heart nearly missed a beat.

There were two of them. One of them was large, wearing what appeared to be an armor suit over its muscular, bipedal body. The other was a smaller one, with a tuft of black hair that stood straight up and a startling face that was so...

_Alien._

They were definitely _not_ Arlians. They also wore what appeared to be an ocular device over one of their eyes. The bigger one made some type of remark, but Atla couldn't understand what it was saying in its foreign language.

Taimoa, a cousin of Lemlia, spoke up. "They're some sort of alien!"

"Goodness, they're an ugly pair, aren't they?" one prisoner remarked.

"Maybe they think we're the ugly ones," another prisoner added. "Did you ever think of that?"

"Speak for yourself!"

No doubt, Atla shared in everyone else's surprise in meeting strange beings from outer space. But not quite. He remembered the times that aliens came to visit Arlia, mostly ambassadors representing their own worlds.

"Wait!" Uyela spoke up. "Aren't they Kanmariens?"

"Or the Zolites?" Lione, another of Atla's servants, asked.

Two of the visiting races, the Kanmariens and the Zolites, looked exactly like these new prisoners here. Atla remembered his parents being impressed by them, and the fact that the aliens had been highly intelligent. They could also understand and speak the Universal tongue.

Atla, Lemlia and some Arlians had to learn several different languages pertaining to their homelands; one of them had been the Universal one, introduced by previous alien visitors. It had been mainly used for diplomatic matters, but also for merchant business and education.

_Maybe they can understand us then?_

Taking a deep breath, Atla stepped forward and began speaking the Universal lexicon. "Hello. I am Atla. Can you understand me?"

The two aliens stared at Atla, with their ominious white and black eyes. For a moment, Atla wondered if he was doing the right thing. What if these beings didn't understand him? What if they weren't the Kanmariens or the Zolites?

The smaller one then glanced up to its tall companion, and uttered something in another foreign language. It must have been their own native tongue…

The bald one smirked in some unknown amusement, and nodded with a short reply back. Then the small alien turned back to Atla.

"Yes. I understand you."

The other prisoners reacted with surprise, while Atla felt a fluttering sense of relief. They must have been more ambassadors to his homeworld...

"Are you from Planet Kanmar?" Atla asked.

Another moment passed, before a low chuckle came from both of the aliens. It then turned into a steady rumble of laughter, which for some reason, made Taimoa very uncomfortable.

"No," the small alien replied haughtily. "I am the Prince of Planet Vegeta."

Vegeta...Atla never heard of such a planet.

"B-But you look so much like the Kanmarians!" Lione blurted out.

Once again, chatter erupted among the prisoners.

"Oh my Parters!"

"He's a prince too?!"

"I still say he's one hideous little troll!"

"You're right, they're so funny looking!"

Atla was growing exasperated by their talk of how unappealing the newcomers were. "Be quiet, all of you! It doesn't matter what they look like. They're stuck in here like the rest of us. Can't you see that? They're just more victims of that tyrant king! Locked away and left to rot."

He then turned to the alien prince. "I'm afraid you visitors have come at a bad time. This new "king of Arlia" is very ruthless. He uses the prisoners for his own amusement."

Uyela snorted. _King of Arlia? _ Was the delusional despot proclaiming himself ruler of their entire planet already?

"He even went so far as to steal my wife, Lemlia, from me on the day we were married." Atla indicated the golden brace around his forearm. "So you can imagine the pain I feel."

Taimoa was growing annoyed with how friendly Atla was getting with the space men. The prince was always too open and trusting for his own good. He also got a funny feeling that there was something 'off' about their new company.

Something...not right.

But before he could express this concern to Atla, the guards appeared again at the bars, this time with a third one.

"So, this is the space trash you found outside the fortress?" one guard sneered.

"Yeah," the second guard replied, smiling sardonically. "Disgusting pieces of shit, aren't they?"

The third guard pointed at the small one. "I'm sure this little maggot will make a nice playtoy for the King."

"And this other one a nice meal for Yetti!" the first guard added, indicating the taller one. "I'd love to see this big ugly bastard grinded into a pulp by the monster's jaws! I hope we get front row seats to that!" They all then broke out into a fit of obnoxious laughter.

The first guard then pulled out a sword from his girdle and pointed it toward the aliens through the bars.

"I wonder...is there blood flowing inside those things?" he asked with a sickening curiosity.

"Why don't you stab one of them?" the second guard suggested.

"Yes, excellent idea..." With a vile grin, the first guard took aim at one of the tall alien's biceps. All of a sudden, a rush of air seemingly appeared from the ground and begin whipping upwards inside the holding cell. The guards grew puzzled, their crimson eyes darting around for the source, as there were no air vents or openings to allow such a strong current in.

But as they glanced back at the space beings, they saw how a centrifugal force started to encircle them; it grew stronger and faster, picking up the dust, hay and other particles on the stone floor. It was almost like a small typhoon was surrounding them. Atla and the other prisoners were just as startled as their captors.

As they all watched, sparks of a blue-white electricity began crackling all over the bodies of the two aliens, each one balling his fists and glaring calmly at the guards. Alarmed, the prisoners started to back away.

_Wh-what are they?!_ Atla wondered.

"What the hell?" one guard cried, as he and the others drew their swords and fell into terrified, fighting stances. The vortex of energy grew stronger around the two space men, as everyone now felt a rising heat emanating outward as well.

Atla then saw how a brown band around the smaller one's waist came loose, and rose out to reveal a…

Tail?

A sudden, visceral feeling crept up Atla's spine….so strange, yet vaguely familiar. He remembered the pictures from the storybooks….the way his mother and teachers described the titular character, "Sky Fighter"….

Without warning, both aliens thrusted one palm forward each, shooting out a tremendously powerful ray of energy, straight at the hapless guards. Atla's eyes barely caught the lightening fast motion of the twin beams as they struck their targets, and then the air filled with bone-chilling screams. As if by some twist of magic, the energy beams started to expand and glow brighter in magnitude.

The rapid force surrounding the attack became so strong that the ground began shaking. The stone ceiling started crumbling, chunks of mortar and brick breaking loose and falling on the prisoners below.

"Take cover!" someone yelled, as the remaining Arlians scrambled to the far end of the cell.

It felt as though the thunderous sound of a train was passing through; the loud impact of stones, the yells of panic from the other guards and prisoners, as well as the strange, humming noise of a deadly energy being unleashed.

Debris was flying everywhere now, and Atla had to shield himself, unable to see the rest of the chaos that had engulfed their little cell in less than a minute. He thought he heard the bizarre sound of something - metal, it seemed - being bended and twisted around.

The Arlian prince didn't have time to consider what it was, as another part of the stone ceiling suddenly caved in and fell on top of him. By instinct, he covered his head and collapsed to a prostrated position. He blacked out for a moment, hearing the panicking voices of his friends fading off in the distance.

And then, silence. When Atla came to, it was pitch black; the air was musty and full of dust. It felt as though his body was covered in a very heavy and coarse blanket. Barely able to breath, he struggled and managed to lift himself from the pile of rubble.

There was a persistent ringing in his ears, almost like they were blown out due to the clamorous sounds of a collapsing building.

What he saw next took him by complete surprise. The first things he noticed was that the two aliens were gone; only tendrils of searing smoke marked where they once stood. The putrid smell of something burning was in the air; it was then that Atla saw that the bars to their cell had been forced open.

"Incredible!" he exclaimed, despite feeling overwhelmed. "W-what power those guys have!"

The stirring voices of the prisoners then caught his attention.

"Yoni? Are you okay?" a desperate Lione was asking.

"Yes...I think so..." came a weak reply.

Atla turned around and spotted Taimoa's torso protruding from another pile of rubble. He ran over and helped to pull his friend out. Luckily, the far corner of the cell with the lower archway hadn't been damaged. The rest of the prisoners who hid there had been shielded from the falling ceiling.

"Are you okay, Taimoa?" Atla asked.

"It would seem..." came the other insectoid's shaky reply, before coughing a bit and looking around. "What the HELL just happened here?"

"My thoughts exactly!" Sipho, one of Lemlia's banquet crew, chimed in. She was covering her bleeding shoulder where a piece of mortar had struck it.

"It was those aliens!" one prisoner cried. "Did you see the way they shot those glowing rays from their hands?!"

"Yes, it even melted the bars and-and I think it killed the guards!" Uyela replied. "I could have sworn I saw one of them blown into oblivion!"

"It looked like chi power," Lione pointed out. "Something that Moai's Elite warriors have."

"But - where did those space men go?" Yoni asked.

Everyone looked toward the huge, gaping hole in the bars lining their cell, the fire-lit corridor peaking out from beyond their dismal enclosure. Atla could make out the remaining guards, all lying either unconscious, injured or perhaps dead. No doubt from the devastating force of the aliens' blast.

"I knew there was something dangerous about them," Taimoa said, uneasy.

But Atla took no notice of it, as it suddenly dawned on him that they were literally free. No iron bars or guards to stop them. Had those galactic visitors been a blessing in disguise? Had one of the deities, Parter perhaps, sent them to rescue his people and overthrow the evil King Moai?

"They looked like the Sky Fighter…" Atla said to no one in particular.

Lione was confused. "Huh? Sky Fighter?"

Uyela frowned. "Oh, you mean the hero from the children's story?"

There came a few nervous chuckles from the prisoners.

"My liege, how can you think of kids stories at a time like this?" Sipho asked.

"Now that I think about it, they did kind of look like the primate creature…" Uyela mused. "That's so weird..."

But another urgent thought crossed Atla's mind. If they all were free to escape, then…

_Then that means...I can go find Lemlia!_

Atla turned to the others. "My friends, this is our chance to escape and go rescue the others!"

Everyone stared at him in silence at what he just declared, before Uyela came to his senses and added, "He's right! We're no longer trapped here, so let's go!"

Atla beckoned to the others, and they all cautiously stepped out of the battered cell, careful not to burn themselves on the white-hot edges of the metal bars. Most of them were still in a state of shock over what happened, but also excited, scared and relieved that they actually had a chance to escape this hellish place.

"Quick! Take any weapons you can find on the guards," Uyela urged.

The other prisoners did their best to ignore the state of the guards, seizing swords, knives or whatever item of value they came across on their enemy's attire.

Atla went over to one guard and begin slipping a ring of keys off of his belt, when the latter lashed out, grabbing one of his arms. Alarmed, Atla tried wrenching it away, as Uyela and Sipho were suddenly by his side; they aimed their swords to stab the guard.

"No, wait!" Atla cried. "Don't kill him!"

"Why not? He deserves to die!" Sipho protested.

"Please! Too many have died already!"

"Atla, he's the enemy!" Uyela argued. "He would soon as kill us if he wasn't so messed up!"

"He's no threat to us! Just leave him be! We've got to go rescue Lemlia and free the others-" as Atla was talking, he didn't see the guard pull out a dagger hidden beneath a sheath on his belt; he was about to use it on the princes' gut in a fatal strike.

"Atla!" Yoni cried.

Taimoa reacted first, and rammed his sword deep into the guard's belly. Startled, Atla backed away as the man cried out in pain.

"You see? He was going to kill you!" Taimoa said angrily.

Atla was stunned at what the guard just tried to do, but also instantly embarrassed at not having listened to his friends' warnings.

"I'm sorry...I didn't think that..." the prince stammered.

Taimoa shook his head. "Nevermind, we'll worry about the stupid niceties later! Now let's go before more of those assholes come!"

Atla nodded, trying to ignore the agonized groans coming from the injured guard, as Taimoa callously pulled his sword out from the body, and then spat on it. The prince turned away, bothered by the terrible sight of the bleeding guard lying upright against the wall. Even if it was an enemy…

"I got a set of keys here," Lione announced. "Maybe they can unlock the other doors."

"Good, let's free as much as the prisoners as we can," Atla insisted, trying to quell the shakiness in his voice.

Sipho handed Atla an extra sword, and taking it eagerly, the prince lead the way down the ruined corridor. He felt a growing fear that they might be killed by Moai's surviving guards in a fight, or even encounter his fearsome Elite Warriors.

_Parter...deities...please protect us!_

. . .


	3. Finding Lemlia

**. . .**

Lemlia looked down at the pink dress she wore, and clutched part of the garment in her hand.

_I wonder which of these belonged to his wives?_

Her heart ached for them…most likely Moai killed them. The way Aisal was extremely frightened for Lemlia's fate said it all. One day, she would be next.

The princess was hit with another surge of overwhelming despair. She closed her eyes, letting out a ragged breath. So this was to be her fate, living in Hell on Arlia.

Meanwhile, King Moai was quite disappointed as one of his best fighters, Gregor, barely held his defense against a challenger. It was a bloody, but entertaining fight. Enough to keep the King off the edge of his seat. But now there was a new champion, whose skills with the sword and fighting reflexes were far more impressive than Gregor's. Well, it was fun while it lasted.

"Enough!" he announced. "Take Gregor to the pit! Lesoy is the new champion now!"

The losing warrior's eyes went wide in shock. Two guards then grabbed him and started dragging him to the center of the arena. Lemlia's heart caught in her throat. No matter how many times she saw an Arlian die horribly by the Pit Monster, it was utterly traumatizing again and again.

"No, not the pit!" Gregor pleaded. "Please sire, not the pit! This isn't fair!" A circular, four-section door began opening from the ground.

Lemlia couldn't stand it any longer. She turned to Maoi and said, "Sire, please stop this!"

The King simply laughed. "What? I do this all the time. He is no longer worthy to serve me."

"Please, no more deaths! Just let him go!"

"This is my pleasure."

"Sire, I beg you-"

"If you don't shut that pretty little mouth of yours, I'll not only toss in your precious Atla next, I'll then have my way with you, alot sooner!"

His menacing threat was enough to chill her blood. The King then turned back to the execution, grinning giddily as the guards hurled the doomed warrior into the pit below. Lemlia couldn't believe what was happening, and collapsed back into her seat.

Tonight would not be any better. She dreaded the few hours that remained after the game, as she knew Moai would then _rape_ her, as he promised earlier.

And what of Atla? What would happen to him? All hope drained from the insectoid princess. She didn't know what to do.

_If only there was a way for all of us to escape! _

Just then, a royal commander approached King Moai. "Sire, earlier today we captured two aliens. They're in the dungeon now."

"What? aliens?"

The commander nodded.

King Moai mulled over this for a moment. He had captured aliens before. They all proved to be no match for the Arlians, so most were either imprisoned for study and experimentation, or used for blood sport in the Arena. Finally, he demanded, "Well then, that could make for an interesting show. Have the guards bring them to the Arena!"

"We're already here," a strange voice rang out.

Startled, all three looked up to see two figures approaching them from the entrance. As they came closer, Lemlia was astonished. Truly, she had never seen such beings before!

Atleast, not up this close. She had seen photographs of the aliens from Kanmar, so this was the first thing that struck her mind. What were the Kanmariens doing here?

"What is the meaning of this?!" King Moai demanded. "Why don't these prisoners have an armed escort?"

"I - I don't know, sire," the commander replied, confused. "No orders were ever sent to the dungeon!"

The smaller alien smirked. "Your guards met with an unfortunate accident."

The King's mood quickly changed to outrage. Alien or not, he recognized an attitude.

"How dare you! Soon it will be your turn to meet with an unfortunate accident!" He glanced at Lemlia and sneered, "You may not want to watch this, my dear. "

"Very well," she replied miserably.

Moai then turned back to the uninvited guests. "I'll make sure that my guards make short work of these repulsive creatures!"

"Really?" the smaller alien shot back.

Ignoring him, Moai thumbed his chin in thought. "Ah, let's see. Yes, we'll test the big one with the shiny head against our champion in combat. We'll save the little one for last. He won't put up much of a fight, I'm sure." He turned to Lesoy. "Now teach them a lesson!"

"Yes, sire." Welding his lethally sharp sword, the gladiator crouched in a fighting stance behind the two aliens.

"And Lesoy," Moai added. "I'll see you retire a wealthy man if you can defeat both of them. Now begin!"

With a battle yell, Lesoy brought his sword down towards the duo. There was a sudden, brief ray of light, followed by a short scream. The next second, his headless body crumpled to the ground.

Shocked by the gruesome sight, Lemlia covered her mouth and let out a terrified gasp.

The short alien had easily decapitated Lesoy. And with only a laser shot from his two fingers! King Moai and the others were surprised as well. Lesoy had been defeated in a second! His best champion!

But the wicked tyrant wouldn't back down from a threatening presence just yet. "Not bad...but ten of our finest warriors have mastered techniques using energy _just like yours."_

"They have? Interesting. We'd like to fight them," the shorter alien challenged.

"I'll see you suffer for you insolence!" Moai retorted.

This time, the bigger space man spoke up. "Yeah, whatever. Can we get on with this already?"

Moai reacted to his rude tone. "How dare you!"

"Come on Your Heinousness! Bring on the cricket brigade! We're ready!"

Lemlia couldn't understand several words the bald alien had said in the Universal tongue. Judging by his boorish manner, the words were probably insults.

At Moai's command, the ten fighters took their cue. With lightening-fast reflexes, they all leaped down from the spectator seats and surrounded the two aliens in a killing formation.

The Voltairan princess watched tensely as the fighters moved in for the attack. But something told her that they wouldn't stand a chance against these dangerous space beings.

* * *

**. . .**

"Moai, that fucking sonofabitch! He's going to pay!" a prisoner next to Atla snarled. The prince stole a glance at him – he was a warrior from the Zhuvere kingdom, known for their bloodlust and conquering of numerous territories.

The Zhuveran and his brethren were one of many that Atla had freed while they made their way through the dungeon enclaves. Ever since then, they were ranting out nothing but pure vengeance against their hated captor.

Atla's kingdom had been to war with the Zhuverans in the past, but in this turbulent situation, they were allies.

He also discovered that Moai had other royalty locked up, so there was atleast one other prince and seven nobles in the group. The rest were either military, farmers, merchants, clergy, or the working class. Some were even political staff from lands whose ruling body was a government.

While they went about setting the other prisoners free, unfortunately, there were those on the brink of dying – due to Moai's absolute torture and abuse. Atla's heart ached painfully when they were forced to leave them behind.

Some of them had even been children…

_So much evil in a man…._ Atla thought. _How could he?!_

"How's your arm?" Uyela was asking Sipho.

The female Arlian patted it, while balancing her sword. The court musician had used a part of his garment to bandage her injury.

"Doing okay, thanks," she replied. "Though I'm use to carrying a chef knife, not a sword."

"Just pretend you're slicing through Shrab meat while fighting the bad guys," Uyela quipped.

Sipho and a few others chuckled a bit, despite the dire circumstances they were in.

Atla himself still felt sore and bruised from the beating his body took when part of the ceiling had fell on him. But right now, a rush of adrenaline was what kept him from paying any attention to his injuries.

Those aliens…

The two space men certainly amazed him. They had wasted no time in escaping, blasting their way out of the cell with an unprecedented power. They also left behind a trail of destruction, with dead or injured guards strewn all over the corridors.

_Where did that prince and his friend go?_ he wondered. _Is it possible that our god Parter sent them to us? To save us all?_

All of a sudden, Atla's antennas perked up. He sensed more of King Moai's men approaching. As expected, a group of soldiers appeared from a corner hallway.

"HOLD IT, YOU SCUM!" one of them shouted.

Before Atla could react, the Zhuveran next to him yelled back, "You're dead! All of you for what you did to Zhuvere!"

The next second, the firebrand warrior leaped into the air, and unleashed his sword on their chief soldier. The soldier caught his attack, and both began trading blows with their weapons.

"FOR ZHUVERE! FOR OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS!"

The other Zhuveran Arlians shouted battle cries, and rushed towards the melee as well, taking on the other combatants.

"Let's go!" Taimoa shouted.

Atla and the rest of the prisoners quickly formed a defense barrier, ready for any of Moai's minions that charged towards them.

Taimoa then turned to Atla. "Remember your training!"

Atla nodded, never thinking he'd use his combat skills in an actual fight. Luckily, none of these soldiers were the Elites – the ones who possessed chi power. They could easily cut down all the prisoners in a matter of minutes!

Honestly, he did not want to kill anybody. He was more of a peacemaker, not a warrior. But what choice did he have? He _had_ to defend himself.

Atla took on a fighting stance, taking on any soldier or guard that came near the other prisoners. He felt fear, but did his best to push back and avoid their deadly blade swipes. Part of the prisoners were from their own kingdom's military, so naturally they took up a position in protecting the rest of the group.

For moments on end, both sides clashed in the hall, the clanging sounds of metal ringing in the air. Maoi's soldiers were putting up a tenacious fight, despite being outnumbered. But so were the Zhuveran warriors – they were very formidable as well.

Eventually, the soldiers were falling, either defeated or killed.

"Quick!" the chief soldier shouted to a few of them left. "Go get reinforcements!"

The soldiers took off running down the corridor. Taimoa, being a skilled swordsman, narrowly missed a death blow by their leader. He whirled around, deflecting another strike from his opponent's sword.

As the offender lunged at Taimoa for another hit, he blocked the blow again. But this time, he used the momentum to kick his enemy in the stomach. The other Arlian hit the wall hard and dropped his sword. Taimoa quickly grabbed it, and then raised his own sword to the other's chest.

Atla appeared beside him. "Where is Princess Lemlia?"

When the chief soldier didn't reply, Taimoa pressed his weapon to the other's neck. "Tell him or else!"

Still, he refused to answer. Taimoa responded by applying pressure to the blade and slowly began gashing the soldier's neck; the other man cried out in pain.

"Taimoa, STOP!" Atla protested. Taimoa reluctantly obeyed, but still glaring at the soldier.

Atla turned to him. "Please! Just tell me where she is!"

The chief soldier managed a sinister smile, while one hand covered the fresh wound to his neck. "Very well. What does it matter? The King will have you all killed anyway, bwahahahahahaha!"

Taimoa raised a fist to strike the man, but Atla restrained him again.

"They are in the Arena," he sneered. "Attending a gladiator event."

"You better not be lying!" Taimoa threatened.

Somehow, Atla knew he was telling the truth. "C'mon, Taimoa! We've got to save Lemlia!"

With a newfound sense of hope, Atla ordered the other prisoners to plow forward. He was also prepared, in case they came across any more of Moai's lackeys. Despite that he and the others could fall in the fight, he was not going to give up on finding his wife.

_Hang on Lemlia, I'm coming!_

* * *

**. . .**

Princess Lemlia didn't realize how hard she had been grabbing her arm rest, until an acute pain shot up through her hand. Yelping, she let go of it and realized just how tense and shaky she was. She watched in captivated suspense, as the Royal Elite Guards continued battling the two aliens.

Somehow, they had managed to deflect the chi lasers fired by the fearsome Arlians. In that grisly situation, nobody could survive such a deadly attack. But here these two space beings stood, as if those shots had not harmed them in the least. Just then, Moai's fighters were suddenly halted by an enormous power radiating from the bigger, bald alien.

As he yelled out, the alien called forth all his chi energy – raw and bubbling with unbridled fury. It popped and crackled dangerously all over his body. The soldiers just stood there, completely aghast.

"Why are you just standing there?!" Moai shouted. "Kill them! KILL THEM!"

But before they could attack, the bald alien brought two fingers upward and a huge torrent of blue energy flowed out of his body. It quickly engulfed the Elite Guards, as their screams of agony rang all over the Arena.

The shorter alien merely watched with his arms folded. He was clearly enjoying it.

The energy surge was so massive that it filled up the entire field. The ground began shaking, causing the pillars to crumble and part of the spectator's seatings to collapse inward. Lemlia was too frightened to run, as her dark eyes remained frozen on the unbelievable scene before her.

From somewhere in the distance, her terrified mind thought she heard Moai's voice, also tinged with fear.

"Yetti!" he shouted. "Release Yetti!"

* * *

**. . .**

As Atla and the liberated Arlians neared the Arena, he thought he heard a succession of booming noises – like a bunch of explosions going off. What the hell was going on?

Without warning, the hall around them begin rocking again; Atla couldn't keep his balance and stumbled forward several feet, falling to the ground.

"What the—"

A whole barrage of stone and mortar came raining down upon them.

"Look out!" someone yelled.

A deafening sound then blared all around, as the ceiling once again caved in and completely covered their entire pathway. While the ceiling had collapsed, it revealed the wood slabs from above, indicating an upper level in the abysmal structure.

Coughing from the settling dust, Atla uncurled from his defense position. When he looked behind him, all his friends were gone. Apparently the pathway had been completely filled up by the rubble, separating him from the others.

"Guys!" he called.

He ran over and started removing chunks of the stone.

"Prince Atla, are you alright?" a familiar voice came from the other side.

"Uyela?"

"Yes! We're stuck here!"

"Don't worry about us!" Yoni yelled from the other side through a small crack. "Just go find Lemlia!"

"No, I can't just leave you guys!"

"You must! It's your only chance!"

"Besides, we can't just bulldoze our way through," Uyela added. "There's too much rubble. We'll have to find another way to get through!"

Atla closed his eyes in despair. This was the last thing he ever wanted, being separated from his friends and allies.

"Go Atla," Uyela urged. "It'll be alright. Lemlia could be in danger!"

"Lemlia…"

That goddamn psycho still had her. He had to get to her, no matter what...

"Okay!" Atla called back. "But I'll be back for you guys!"

Even though a part of him doubted it – for all Atla knew, he could get ripped apart by Moai's men upon entering the Arena. No other person to help him.

"Go get her! Maybe those two aliens killed all the Elite Guards!" Lione yelled hopefully.

It was possible. Their space visitors did take out most of the guards in the dungeon…

"Alright, alright! Just hang in there, my friends!"

With that, Atla took off running, feeling glad that the heavy debris hadn't injured him any further. He wondered how many times today he would have to avoid more falling ceilings?

. . .


	4. Reuniting With Atla

NOTE: A combination of the English dub and Japanese dialogue is used in this chapter, in staying in line with the original version of Arlia's descent due to Maoi's reign.

. . .

The Pit Monster.

Once again, the bottom door to the right of the wrecked Arena began opening. As they all watched, the gigantic Yetti emerged from below. The two humanoids turned their attention on the hovering insectoid monster.

Yetti looked down on them, the membrane covering his mandibles watering at the prospect that a couple of aliens were going to be dinner.

"Let them have it Yetti! Kill those two!" Moai commanded.

The monster proceeded to take a swipe at them.

Too late...

They were a fleeting apparition, vanishing before Lemlia and Moai's eyes. One minute they stood there, the next they were darting all over the ruins of the whole Arena. Growling in frustration, Yetti took several more massive swipes at them, but they were just too fast.

He started chasing after one of them to the side of Lemlia's throne, and she had to avoid his deadly rampage. She took shelter behind the thrones, daring to peak out at the terrifying spectacle unfolding.

The monster caught sight of the smaller alien, and shot at the him with a duo of massively large lasers that bore from his glowing red eyes. It was exactly like those of the Elite Guards, but twenty times more destructive in force. The alien prince simply dodged the attack, laughing as he sprinted across a wall, as if to mock the big, dumb brute.

In the end, the bald alien got the better of the monster. As Yetti tried to strike him, he caught the killing blow; the two now were engaged in an intense contest of insurmountable strength. Lemlia was astounded.

_That-that alien! How is he so strong against the Pit Monster?!_

Moai, having regained some of his arrogance back, wasn't so impressed. "Fool! You think you intend to test your strength against Yetti's?"

The next thing Lemlia knew, one of Yetti's fingers was severed off. Green blood gushed out from the stump, as the monster let out an agonized scream.

"I got a surprise for you!" the space man shouted to Yetti. "Your going away present!"

In less than a second, he produced a glowing ball and hurled it at Yetti. The entire Arena lit up in white-hot flash, forcing Lemlia to cover her eyes. The maelstrom of lethal power emanating from the aliens was proving to be incredibly dangerous.

_My god, are we all going to die?_ she thought.

Finally, it was silent again...and the Pit Monster was gone.

At this point, King Moai was panicking. They just annihilated his greatest weapon off the face of the planet! Now their attention was on him, a murderous glint in their eyes...

"No! Impossible!" He started frantically running up the steps.

"Coward!" the smaller alien snarled.

"Please! Don't hurt me!" he begged the two aliens, hiding behind his throne. Lemlia had never seen such a bizarre sight before her...here was the malicious King Moai, feared the most by all the kingdoms on Arlia, who was now reduced to a frightened, pathetic, sniveling heap of a man.

Even someone as psychotic as him could be brought to his knees by such smaller, mere creatures. It all seemed unreal to Lemlia, almost as if her mind was trying to decide whether to accept it or think it very absurd.

As she watched, the alien raised his two fingers and saw how numerous chunks of rubble arose from the ground around his body.

_How is this even possible?!_ the princess thought.

He directed one of the pieces at the King, making it clear he was controlling the object. The rubble fatally impaled Moai through the chest, as he then collapsed on the arm rest. Pieces of the throne broke off, falling on him.

Lemlia stared at his body, which was now twitching in the throes of death. Though in complete shock, a part of her felt that she should be relieved. The most evil man on Arlia was dying before her.

A figure suddenly appeared from the entrance. Another Arlian...but wearing a gold brace. The princess blinked a few times. No...was it...? Prince Atla ran through the wreckage to the space men. "Incredible! You guys are incredible!"

_It is him!_

"You guys are indeed the saviors of this planet! Peace is sure to return to this planet now, just as before!"

The aliens seemed indifferent to his praise. Lemlia couldn't believe it...how did Atla escape the prison? And the way he was speaking to the space men, like he already knew them. Was he in on this too?

An unfamiliar, roaring noise rumbled overhead. Glancing up at the ruddy sky, Lemlia saw two circular objects appearing over the Arena. They stopped directly below the two humanoids, who were beginning to ascend in the air.

"Farewell, my friends!" Atla was saying. "You will always be welcomed here on Arlia!"

The aliens simply jumped into their space pods without a word, and flew off.

"Thank you!" Atla called. "We'll never forget you!"

Somehow, the princess managed to snap out her shock. Her husband was standing before her, alive and vibrant as the day of their wedding.

"A-Atla!" she cried, running down the stairs. Startled by such a sweet, familiar voice, the insectoid prince whirled around. "Atla, thank goodness you're alive!"

"Do my eyes deceive me?" he asked in awe. "Is it really you, Lemlia?"

"Yes, it's me Atla! You're Lemlia!"

"You don't know how happy I am to see you, my love." What a breathtaking sight she was. "Are you okay?"

"Yes!"

_Thank Parter!_ He thought, and started running towards her.

"Atla, my love!" she cried, arms outstretched.

"My darling!"

Both lovers reached each other and held their hands. It was finally over. King Moai and his Royal Guards were gone, and so was his horrible legacy. The prisoners were free now, and their kingdoms would live in peace once more.

They would never have to worry about that evil monster again.

"Atlast, we can be together...forever," he declared.

So happy they were in reuniting that they didn't notice an abrupt, flashing light in the background. A second later, the royal couple were vaporized, still holding each other's hands in a tender moment. The Arena soon followed, then their entire world…

. . .

Nearly a year and half later…

The evening sky was as beautiful as ever, a dark blood hue against the backdrop of the glittering specks of stars. Only their two moons stood out on the western side, both in waxing gibbous, as luminous orbs competing with the brilliance of the distant, burning gas giants.

Lemlia stood on one of the palace terraces, gazing up at them, and let out a slow, grateful sigh. It had been nearly two months since Moai's defeat. Arlia's denizens were still recovering from his horrific reign over their lands.

Nearly all the kingdoms had lost a portion of their peoples to the sociopathic ruler, over the course of two decades. And like all those that were affected, Atla and Lemlia had to bury their own family and friends.

The period for mourning still resonated strongly for both of them; Atla was still grieving over his father's demise. But despite the untimely tragedies, Lemlia was greatful that her parents and sisters were okay.

All there was to do now was help rebuild their lands, deal with the ongoing drought and provide ample support to all who suffered during the horrible ordeal. Nearly a third of the Arlian population was suffering from some form of PTSD.

Indeed, it was going to be a very long road to get back to where they once were, during better times.

Lemlia had found Aisal and made sure she got the best of care; it would be a long time before the ex-slave got over her brother's death and traumatic abuse...if she ever did. Lemlia wasn't sure if Aisal was damaged beyond hope; that the girl might attempt suicide again, even with the evil Moai and her tormentors gone.

She prayed hard every night to their deities that Aisal would find some reason to go on living. She prayed for everyone, for their recovery…physical, mentally and spiritually.

Sometimes the princess wished she had a magic wand to use, in erasing the abhorrent memories burned so hotly into everybody's minds. Like it never happened…

But that wasn't the only thing bothering Lemlia…

She and Atla had somehow blacked out in the Arena. When they both awoke, Moai's body was gone. In fact, most of his followers had vanished without a trace. Even the ones that the prisoners defeated and locked up in the dungeon cells were gone. Not all of them, but it was still very puzzling they were missing.

A large majority of his Elite Soldiers also disappeared. Only a handful of them had been discovered around his fortress and in other foreign lands.

Most of those Elites left had tried fighting back at first, but were quickly overpowered by the mass of local citizens – even with their chi power as an advantage. It was very interesting that in one incident, a small child bravely stood in front of his father, blocking him from an Elite Guard's attack. Surprisingly, the enemy soldier refused to fire on the boy.

Rather, the Elite Guard was distracted long enough for some law enforcers to incapacitate him. Why would he hesitate to attack a boy protecting his father? The other Elite Guards had no problem killing children before.

_Maybe…he had enough of killing,_ Lemlia mused.

Or maybe, just maybe, that Elite had a conscience. The princess always had an inkling that not all of Moai's henchmen were truly evil. Rather, a small portion of them were completely misguided or even forced to serve against their will.

That still didn't answer the baffling question as to why they were still here on Arlia, while the rest of their fellow soldiers were missing.

In fact, every population in all the lands had reported this very strange phenomena; some of their neighbors, aquaintances, and even relatives had disappeared. This included a majority of their criminals.

Most of them had been deeply despised, committed unspeakable crimes or were sociopathic in nature. There were still those left that Lemlia would consider quite bad or nasty; why they had not disappeared was beyond her understanding though.

As she was about to head back to her room, several jovial voices rang in the air.

"Hah! Beat you!" a child's voice taunted.

"You're lucky my foot is still healing, butt face!" another child shot back.

Two small Arlians and Atla appeared from one of the turrets, panting from an exhilarating run. Lemlia beamed at how her husband still loved playing with children; he was one at heart himself.

"Shut up, you twit!" the boy said.

"I'll race you back down the stairs!"

After catching his breath, Atla turned to the boys. "Alright guys, I'm be back in awhile. You go on having fun, but be careful, okay?"

"Ah c'mon cousin, I want you to race with us!" one of them whined.

Atla put his hand up, but in a friendly gesture. "In awhile. I need to speak with your cousin Lemlia over here."

Lemlia smiled at them. "Glad you guys are getting your exercise! Your parents are gonna thank Atla here, right dear?"

Atla nodded, smirking a bit. The older of the two boys pouted. "Fine, I'll race this slowpoke dummy over here and beat him again."

"Hey!" his brother protested.

The prince then shooed for them to go on, and they scurried back inside the turret, their arguing voices echoing down the corridor. He wiped his brows, and turned to warmly kiss and embrace his wife.

"How are you doing, darling?" he asked.

Lemlia nodded. "Fine, just fine. I was watching the stars."

"I'm sure they're loving all the attention," he quipped.

Lemlia let out little chuckle. "Indeed.."

Her mood then changed to one of concern. "Atla, I keep wondering about what happened...you know, about everyone all over the world passing out for some time; part of them suddenly disappearing, those two aliens that came…"

The princes's brow furrowed in thought. "Yes…it really is a mystery…."

"I know I've told you this before, but I could have_ sworn_ one of them killed Moai. I saw it! He was dying at his throne. I keep thinking maybe somebody took his body while we were passed out."

"It's possible. But then, how does it explain the other people disappearing? Did a bunch of kidnappers just go around, snatching groups of Arlians at random?"

"Some think it was an alien abduction."

"Yes, that also occurred to me." He thumbed his chin, pensive. "But _why_ the worst of our people? Why not the rest of everyone? It doesn't make sense! It's like whoever took the bad ones knew who they were!"

"This is all so strange," Lemlia said wearily. "Do you think those aliens had anything to do with it?"

"I don't know. One thing's for sure, they weren't the Kanmariens or Zolites. I remember the prince saying he was from a planet called Vegeta."

"Well, I didn't recognize their uniforms at all." Another puzzling thought occurred to her. "Atla, our space allies experienced the same thing…you know, passing out for awhile on their homeworlds."

"The Zolites?"

Lemlia nodded. "The Papagos too. I don't think the Kanmariens did though. In fact, a lot of time had passed when they contacted us again."

Atla was now feeling a bit overwhelmed himself. "Sweet Parter, we were out for awhile. About three solar cycles. It's a miracle we didn't starve to death while unconscious for that long!"

"Or that wild animals picked at our bodies," Lemlia added.

A moment of silence passed before she spoke again. "I keep wondering about those aliens too." A shudder ran through her. "They were so powerful…and destructive. I've never seen anything like it before!"

"Me neither. They saved us all. But what were they doing here?"

"If one of our space allies had sent them to help us, those aliens would have told us, right?"

"Yes," Atla agreed. "Maybe they were mercenaries. That's the only logical reasoning I can think of."

"Atla, they still frightened me," Lemlia admitted. "For a moment, I thought they were going to kill everyone…including me and you."

The prince gave her shoulder a gentle shake, and smiled reassuringly. "But they didn't. I understand though why they were intimidating…even a part of me was scared. They had such massive power, even more devastating then Moai's Elite Guards."

"Taimoa thinks they were criminals," Lemlia said of her cousin. "He didn't trust them."

Atla rolled his eyes. "Taimoa is always suspicious of outsiders. He should lighten up every once and awhile. Not everyone you meet wants to stab you in the back."

"Hey, he's always been good at seeing the bad in someone," she defended.

Now the prince grinned. "Even in a real life Sky Fighter?"

Lemlia merely sighed, shaking her head. "You still think those two space men were like Sky Fighter? My goodness, even I don't remember Sky Fighter destroying everything in his path!"

"True, true. But is it a coincidence that they were a dead ringer for him? Especially the prince?"

Lemlia looked down, feeling more confused as ever. "I don't know…maybe." She managed a bittersweet smile. "I always thought Sky Fighter would be more…I don't know, a nicer guy?"

Atla chuckled a bit. "Yeah, not a mysterious one that hardly spoke a word….except when he introduced himself to us in the dungeon. He knew the Universal language, so he might have been a spacefarer. It seemed he was not scared at all…you know, about being captured by Moai. His taller friend too. It was like being taken a prisoner was nothing to them."

His eyes then lowered to the darkened landscape dotted with green meadows and limestone karsts.

"Now I'm beginning to think the story was actually an event that happened in our history. Our ancestors weren't just making up some extravagant tale on the spot. I wonder if they'll come back to Arlia some day?"

* * *

. . .

Dende gave a concerned look to Bulma, who let out a sigh – full of immense relief – as she sank to the ground on her knees. Porunga had already disappeared, with the dragonballs now scattered across New Namek.

"Are you alright, Bulma?" he asked.

She gave a wan smile. "Yes, I will be." She then looked up to Moori, who stood beside the young Namekian. "Thanks again for your help as well."

"It's a good thing Grand Elder Guru passed down the knowledge about modifying the dragonballs," he said sagely. "I couldn't have done otherwise in being able to wish back planets and their inhabitants."

Bulma wondered if she and the Namekians had done the right thing. _Of course, you did! They shouldn't have died at his hands! Nor those of Frieza, and we wished **them** back!_

The first wish had been bringing back all the planets that Vegeta and his subordinate Nappa destroyed. The second was all the people that had perished at their hands, except for the very evil and depraved ones.

It was no secret the Saiyan prince had killed indiscriminately; removing the absolute worst in every alien society was pushing it, but Bulma decided to go through with it.

_I've been hanging around Son-kun too much all these years…_

The third wish was left to Moori, which he chose to save for another time. There were still some limitations on the Namekian dragonballs. While planets and whole populations could now be resurrected, this could only go as far back as four years – more than the one-year deadline of Earth's dragonballs, but it was a significant improvement over the latter atleast.

Bulma still recalled how Vegeta coldly admitted to murdering an entire Namekian village. She tried not to think about it too much, but it still bothered her, especially after coming across another wrecked village herself. At the time, it had been Moori's tribe, and Frieza was to blame for that massacre.

She remembered holding the corpse of one of their children in her arms, feeling a sudden mixture of horror, pain and sorrow. Gohan later said he also came across a village of slaughtered Nameks, but wasn't sure if it had been Vegeta or Frieza's ruthless doing.

Bulma, already stressed from hiding on Namek, Yamcha's death, and the numerous alien attacks, had broke down crying. And it wasn't just her usual, whoa-is-me spoiled girl sob….she was truly hurting. Not only for herself, but for those poor Namekians as well…those innocent lives taken in a flash by a monstrous galactic tyrant and his cronies.

No, they couldn't just stay dead while Piccolo, Yamcha and the others had been revived. Dende and the other Nameks were in agreement – they deserved another chance at life.

Moori was now looking to the eastern horizon. "I believe Tsuno and his tribe are back. We should send a couple of brothers over to greet them."

"Yes, Grand Elder," Dende complied.

They all regretted that Frieza and Vegeta's victims could not be resurrected beyond four years. Unless more modifications were made to the dragonballs, but even Moori wasn't sure if he should pursue the matter.

After all, why should particular groups of people be resurrected and not the rest of those killed in the universe at other times, by other people not Frieza or Vegeta? Was it fate for them die anyway? Even a part of Moori felt selfish for wanting his own people back.

It was not really in their hands to be playing fate or god with people's lives. But it also felt like they were doing the right thing – nobody should have ever died during Frieza's reign. The same with Vegeta, Raditz and Nappa's brutal rampages across the universe, so consequences be damned.

Bulma felt similar as well, and hoped that she would never have to do this again. Since Vegeta returned to Earth, she heard more of his atrocities committed around the galaxy. But strangely, unlike with Frieza, Bulma didn't get a full alarming vibe from him.

Even if she did witness him savagely eliminating one of Frieza's henchmen at one point. There was something in him she almost pitied…after all, he could've killed Krillin or Gohan on Namek, but instead formed a brief alliance. Even though he intended to betray them later.

He had plenty of opportunity to finish her off as well...it would have been easy. No, he couldn't be a complete unfeeling machine, set to killing automation. At times, she saw a frustration in him…sometimes at Goku for being the strongest in the world, sometimes at his failure for not tipping the scales of power in his favor.

So it came as a surprise to Bulma that she felt this way. It still disturbed her though, what he was capable of. But another part of her – an irrational side – felt a semblance of a small attraction to him. Why? Was she going crazy?

So far, the Saiyan prince had put a halt to his killing sprees. Bulma hoped that it would stay that way for awhile.

_Please Kami, let's hope he doesn't kill anymore people…_

. . .

FIN

* * *

NOTES:

* King Maoi is based off of several autocratic rulers in real life, but I tried to portray him in the correct, unsympathetic light as per the episode. For example, Roman emperor Nero was responsible for the death of his mother and first wife, Octavia.

Another one, Soviet ruler Stalin, was said be apathetic to his people suffering from famine. During WWII, when he heard about the rampant rapes his soldiers were committing on the females of the enemy, he simply stated "we lecture our soldiers too much. Let them have their initiative."

* The story of "Sky Fighter" is not original, as this was inspired by the film, "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome." A group of orphaned children and teens mistaken Mad Max for their long lost hero, Captain Walker, as he bears a striking resemblance to the latter.

I'm a fan of the films, and also love the songs by Tina Turner!

* It was interesting exploring both Atla and Lemlia. Atla was naturally good-hearted and somewhat naive; therefore he was too blind to see what Vegeta and Nappa really were. The Sky Fighter tale influenced his rose-tinted view of them even further. He's the type that is slow to see the evil in someone, so this fallible trait posed a danger to him and everyone else.

He really doesn't remember what happened to him and Lemlia, so if he met Vegeta again, he would still be under the illusion that the Saiyan prince was this revered hero. It's sad really, but let's hope he never finds out, teehee...

* Originally there were several dungeon guards with attacks involving chi energy, but most of them were taken out by Vegeta and Nappa on their way to the Arena.

* I thought of including an extra scene where Atla hears two children being abused (in the worst ways imagined) a few cells down from his. He would scream for their tormentors to stop harming them, and eventually covering his ears in horror when it continued for awhile. It sounded too disturbing though, and would have been extraneous to the story.

* Although Lemlia is portrayed as the cliché damsel-in-distress, I tried to keep in line with how her character was written in the episode. It made no sense (atleast to me) turning her into a strong-willed, feisty spitfire who suddenly knew martial arts or took assertive control of a situation in today's post-feminist world. Even if she could, she wouldn't be able to get 10 feet without mutiple chi beams being fired on her.

She represented the goodness in Arlians; caring, forgiving, and being naive like Atla. She truly thought Maoi had changed and gave him a chance, until his betrayal to both their kingdoms.

* I thought if anyone would wish back Frieza or Vegeta's victims, it would be Bulma. I was moved in DBZ episode 70 when she came across Moori's wrecked village, and picked up a dead Namekian child. She promised them she would wish them back with the dragonballs. Despite her overall spoiled, selfish nature, there are times when her altruism comes through. She also shined in Dragonball Super with helping the survivors in Future Trunk's devastated world.

It also foreshadows her actions of wishing the spectators back to life later duing the Buu Saga, thus somewhat cleaning up her hubby's messes at times. Okay, thanks for taking the time to trudge through this story! Feel free to critique as well, lol.

Best of luck on your adventures into the world of fanfiction!


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